Girl Meets Hogwarts
by zaynub
Summary: A chaptered Hogwarts AU with all your faves from GMW, including Maya, Riley, Farkle, Lucas, and many others. There will be Lucaya later on, and possibly Riarkle. CURRENTLY: (CH3) Maya and Riley have just met, yet they've already managed to get themselves in a sticky situation. Will the two girls, stand up for each other? Or will Missy crush them?
1. King's Cross Station

_a/n: Welcome to my Hogwarts AU. This is more an introductory chapter more than anything else. Stay tuned for more! Will be chaptered._

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><p>September 1st.<p>

10:45.

The King's Cross Station had always been busy, but this day of the year always harbored the strangest travelers. Disheveled parents hurried along with excited, eager-faced children. A security guard stared at a curly-haired father, an overexcited mother wearing a pointed hat, and an excited 11 year-old girl. Their luggage was even stranger, but no less than those of the families around them. The trolleys were filled with trunks and various animals, ranging from owls to cats to even the odd toad or two. The security guard turned his head away from the family, deeming it rude to stare too long. He couldn't help but take a second glance back at the family - but as he turned his head, they were already gone. He scratched his head then turned back around, deciding not to dwell on the matter.

The security guard hadn't been the only one to notice the disappearing family. A blonde girl seated on a far away bench had been observing the family for quite some time now. She envied the girl. She _almost _wished her mother was here with her. Her mother hadn't been very clear on what she was to do when she got there. Then again, when had her mother been clear on anything for the past 11 years? Still, although she had caused many strange events in the past, she had never walked through an invisible barrier before. But her ocean eyes missed nothing, not even the casual teenagers that leaned through the wall and slipped into nothingness. In a couple minutes, she would be doing the same. Unlike the rest of them, however, she carried no animal companion nor did she require a trolley. She only carried her pitifully small trunk full of the bare minimum of all that Hogwarts required. Her second-hand robes had been tossed carelessly inside, similar to the way her mother treated her. In addition to her trunk, she carried a small rucksack, full of her most prized possessions - a sketchpad, a quill, and a camera. The camera was no ordinary Muggle camera. It was a magical one, enchanted so that the images would move after they were taken. It was the most expensive thing she owned, her mother had worked a triple shift to get it for her, and she valued it more than anything else she had.

10:50.

"Missy!" A parent called out from afar. She turned to look at the voice. A haughty-looking family strode into view, their robes sweeping the ground. Their child, a tall brunette, stuck her nose in the air as she caught up to her parents. "Stay away from all these Mudbloods," the father said disdainfully. The brunette shot a look of appallment at her father. Her eyes, full of pride and arrogance, raked over all those around them. The murky brown found the ocean blue and a sudden surge of dislike shot through Maya. Whoever the girl was, Maya knew they would not get along.

10:55

The security guard was absolutely confused. The station, fit to burst a mere 10 minutes ago, was now almost empty. The only one left looking out of place was the lone girl sitting at the bench with her luggage.

10:58

Steam whirled through the air. The warning bells started to ring and hundreds of loving families started to say their farewells. Trunks were quickly loaded on. Last minute reminders were shouted. Promises of letters and good behavior were being made.

"Riley," the curly haired father wrapped his arms around his daughter.

"Daaad," the baby-faced brunette whined back as she buried her head in his chest.

Tears started to swell in her father's face while pride emancipated from her mother's.

"You are gonna be _great_, Riley. We will write to you every day," her mother reassured her with a kiss on the cheek.

"Thanks Mom, thanks Dad. I promise I won't get in any trouble."

"That's our good girl," the mom cooed. "But don't forget to kick Farkle's butt in every subject," her mother added abruptly.

Riley shook her head in amusement at the silly rivalry between the Matthews and the Minkuses. "We love you," they both said as the train came to life.

"I love you too," she said with a smile, then walked on to the train which had begun to slowly inch forward.

10:59

She had delayed the inevitable for as long as possible. Now was the time to walk through to the other world - alone.

She grabbed her trunk and rushed through the barrier, running straight into the curly-haired father she had seen earlier.

"Hey, hun, you okay there?" The mother asked in a concerned tone.

"Yeah," Maya stammered, disconcerted by the care in the mother's voice, "I'm fine."

"Better hurry up, or you'll miss the train," the said curly-haired father with a kind smile.

She nodded then ran to the train, crossing the threshold a moment before the doors closed.

11:00

She was now on board the Hogwarts Express.

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><p>an: well, that's it for now! drop a review if you'd like and lemme know what you think! =) more to come soon!


	2. Company

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><p>Maya glanced around. She knew many of the faces around her and a few waved as she passed by. She was a familiar face to any who ate at her mother's restaurant. Although many knew her, she never felt very close to any, so she opted to sit at the compartment at the very corner of the train. She passed a boy sporting a bowl cut, completely immersed in his spellbooks. At last, she found an isolated compartment and sat down. She looked out the window, eyes wide open as beautiful scenery flashed by. She pulled out her camera and started to take a couple shots. She took an exceptionally well shot of the train turning around the bend, and the purple smoke filled the room when she heard the compartment door open.<p>

…

Riley had been wandering the corridors, wondering vaguely where Farkle was. She supposed he was sitting somewhere in the front of train, eager to be the first to spot the Castle, biding away his time by reading spellbooks. She wanted to stop by and say hi, but her feet were aching and she decided to find a compartment instead. Everywhere she looked, it was packed. Although her father, Mr. Matthews, was the head of the Department of the Magical Education, she wasn't very well-known among the children.

One of the compartment doors opened, and a rather nasty looking girl walked out, glaring at Riley. "You're in my way," she said rudely. "I'm sorry," she stuttered quietly, walking past her and stumbling on her way down the corridor. She could hear the girl and her friends giggling her from far away.

At last, she found an almost empty compartment at the end. Inside was the blonde girl she had seen earlier at the train station, the one that had been all by herself. Riley wondered if the girl would rather be by herself. But she turned back, and her heart dropped. The girls who had laughed at her earlier were following her. She took her chances and opened the compartment door.

...

Maya turned around to the newcomer, who started to cough from the camera's purple smoke. The newcomer fanned the air around her and after a moment or two, Maya was able to see her properly. It was the brunette girl who had been with the curly-haired father and kindly mother.

"Hi, I'm Riley," the girl introduced herself. "Mind if I sit here? Everywhere else is full."

Maya paused for a moment in contemplation. "Sure, kid, go ahead" she said, grabbing her rucksack and making room. She hadn't planned on having any company but something about this girl, Riley, looked so timid and fragile. Maya smiled tentatively at her, suddenly feeling an inexplicable need to make the girl feel welcome.

As Riley sat down, she glanced at Maya's camera, and some of the photographs scattered around. "Woah!" She exclaimed. "Those are some really great pictures. You're really good at this," she declared enthusiastically.

Maya smiled. Maybe company wasn't so bad after all.

But she spoke too soon; not even had the thought entered her mind when the compartment door was wrenched open. Both the girls turned to the doorway, where Missy Bradford stood with a wicked smile on her face, flanked by two menacing-looking girls, all with wands in hand.

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><p><em><strong>an: **hope you guys enjoy! more to come soon! as always, lemme know what you think =)_


	3. What Friends Are For

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><p>"Well, well, well, look who we have here," Missy gave a rather unpleasant smirk. "Maya Hart. And Riley Matthews"<p>

"Do you know them?" Riley said in a very small voice to Maya.

"No," Maya replied unsurely. She did not recognize the girl. All she knew was that she had seen her at the station and felt a sudden intense dislike. She did not know why she felt that way, only that she did. However, the girl obviously knew _her._ Maya wasn't particularly scared of the girl. She had been left on her own long enough that she had taken to reading in her spare time. As a result, she was rather adept at jinxes and hexes. Nevertheless, she had absolutely no intention of getting in trouble before school even started, and so she resisted the urge to plunge her hand in the pocket. At least, that's what she was planning on doing until she glanced at her companion, Riley.

Riley had a fearful look on her face. Maya got the feeling that this wasn't the first time something like this had happened to Riley. She reminded Maya of the baby kittens that often scattered the streets, helpless without their parents. Maya had the sudden urge to wrap Riley around her arms, to shield her from any harm. It was odd-Maya wasn't used to taking care of anyone but herself. Yet here she was, slowly reaching her arm towards her wand, in case they threatened to harm the timid-looking girl sitting next to her that she had only just met.

"Awh, you don't recognize me?" Missy continued. "It's no wonder. I don't suppose your blood-traitor mom ever took you far into Diagon Alley. She was probably too busy washing dishes at that trash of a place she owns in Knockturn Alley."

Maya stood up, slowly drawing her wand, eyes full of menace. Suddenly, Riley gently tugged her arm, somewhat startling Maya.

"Don't, Maya," Riley said authoritatively, "it's too early to get in trouble. They're not worth it," she stood up then turned to face Missy and her goons.

"Leave her alone. She hasn't done anything to bother you," Riley said bravely.

Maya had to admit, although Riley looked scared witless, the kid managed to say this all in a firm, level tone. And, what's more, the kid had the audacity to actually try and _prevent_ Maya from doing something. Although she normally took orders from none but herself, Maya inexplicably obeyed. She was really starting to like this girl.

"Awh, that's cute, the wittle baby Matthews is defending you. I doubt she could do anything-she tripped and made a fool of herself, just like her clumsy idiot of a father," Missy teased. The two girls flanking her laughed dumbly.

Maya glanced at Riley as the corner of Riley's mouth tilted downward. She couldn't help it-the poor girl looked like an injured puppy. And that set Maya off.

"_Expelliarmus!_" She exclaimed, pointing them at Missy's guards. They squeaked and stumbled after their wands, straight out the compartment.

"I sure wouldn't wanna be you right now," Maya said as she advanced towards Missy, narrowing her eyes threateningly.

"If that's how you wanna play it, Hart, then so be it," she turned away, seemingly in defeat.

Riley let out a sigh of relief but Maya knew better - as Missy exited the door, she quipped around and shrieked, "_Petrificus Totalus!" _

Maya had been ready for it though, and before Missy's spell could go through, she shouted. "_Protego!"_

The spell bounced back at Missy, missing her chest and instead hitting her arm, causing her wand arm to go limp. The force of the shield itself sent her spinning backwards and she let out a snarl as she fell out the compartment.

Maya smirked triumphantly. "I guess we don't need you to show the door."

"You'll pay for this, Hart. Both of you will," she yelled distantly.

Riley and Maya stared at each other for a moment then Riley got up and slammed the compartment door shut.

"_Who_ was that? How did she know my father?" Riley demanded. "I've never seen her a day in my life. And oh my goodness, where did you learn spells like that? You did so good!"

Maya smiled in amusement at the girl's questions and compliments. "Let's just say I use my free time wisely, kid. And anyways, she's probably just some no-good pureblood family that think they're everything. Don't worry about them."

"Okay," Riley said. "How come she called you a blood-traitor?"

"My family is pureblood, but we're kind to Muggles. It's looked down upon by some of the older Wizarding families. Anyways, it doesn't matter. Don't let what they said about either of us get to you," she said dismissively.

Riley nodded, then grinned. "Thank you, although we could've gotten into a lot of trouble."

"We?" Maya raised her eyebrow. "I was the only one shooting spells."

"Well, yeah, but I'm not gonna let you take all the blame for it," Riley stated simply.

Maya looked into the chocolate-brown eyes and realizes the girl was being sincere. She opened her mouth but no words came out. Luckily, Riley spoke for her.

"Now I always believed a friend helps another friend out of trouble, not into it. But you were there for me. You had my back. If you're gonna get me into trouble, then I'm gonna get us out of it."

Maya smiled back. Looks like she had just made her first friend at Hogwarts.

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><p><em><strong>an**: hope you all enjoyed, more coming soon. i actually really enjoy writing this, it's loads of fun. also, to those wondering, i will most likely not include harry/trio into this. although there will be a ton of parallels drawn between the stories. i may include other supporting characters, however, such as the teachers, hagrid, etc. anyways, stay tuned for more, and **thank you all so much for the support**!_


	4. Honeydukes Express

The girls were lounging over their seats, chatting animatedly when the bells from the trolley rang. "Boy, I'm starving!" Riley exclaimed, jumping to her feet.

Maya's stomach rumbled in agreement but she turned her head away from the compartment door, glumly staring out the window instead. Riley was sliding open the compartment door when she glanced behind her and noticed Maya wasn't coming.

"Aren't you gonna get something to eat?" She inquired.

"No, it's okay," Maya said dismissively.

But her mournful stare had not escaped Riley's notice. Riley continued to stare at the girl, head tilted inquiringly.

Maya glanced at Riley. "I don't really have any money right now," she said hurriedly, turning back to the window.

"Oh," Riley said. "Well, that's okay, I'll pay for you, don't wo-"

"No," Maya said firmly, "I said it was okay, okay Riley? You don't have to feel bad for me or anything."

Riley shut the partly open door closed, then sat down next to Maya, looking her in the eye.

"Why is it such a big deal?" Riley asked gently, not wanting to upset her new friend further but not quite understanding why her new friend was making such a big deal out of it.

"Look, Riley, I don't like people doing things for me. You get your hopes up, you get disappointed. I take care of myself. So thanks, but no thanks."

Riley nodded solemnly. She stood up and walked out of the compartment.

_Well, there goes a perfectly good friend,_ Maya thought, _Just like Mom._

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Maya had been glumly staring out the window, sandwich in hand but oblivious to her surroundings, when suddenly she felt the sandwich being tugged from her hand. Her first instinct was to reach for her wand but as she turned around, she saw a familiar face.

"Riley," Maya stated blankly.

"Hi Maya," Riley said, "I brought you food," she said firmly, taking the remorseful little sandwich from her and actually grabbing Maya's hand, placing a Pumpkin Pastie in it, then wrapping her fingers around Maya's, enclosing her hand around the Pastie.

Maya glanced at the Pumpkin Pastie. It was her favorite treat but she had only had it a handful of times, never having quite enough spare change to purchase it. She opened her mouth but no words came out.

"You're welcome," Riley said with a grin, relieved that her new friend hadn't refused her further. She sat down and got to work on a Cauldron Cake.

"Thank you," Maya said, somewhat uncomfortably as she wasn't used to generosity a lot. Still, she was grateful. Perhaps Riley sensed that because she smiled kindly at Maya before reverting back to their previous conversation.

Riley, Maya soon found out, was Half-Blood. Her father, Cory Matthews, the curly haired dad from the train station, was the Head of the Department of the Magical Education. He used to teach at Hogwarts, apparently, but after Riley was born, he wanted a job where he could come home everyday, rather than stay at Hogwarts. Her mother, Topanga Matthews, was a Muggleborn, and she too worked at the Ministry of Magic. She was a member of the Wizengamot. She used to be a part of the Magical Law Enforcement Patrol but after Riley's little brother Auggie was born, she stepped down. This was due partly to the fact that she wanted to spend more time with him, but it was also Cory who had been worrying about her too much that eventually made up her mind. From what Maya could figure out, they sounded like very loving, caring people. She had already picked up on their kind manner when she had crashed into them at King's Cross, and this only further reinforced her belief. Riley went on about how she had originally spent a lot of time with her weird Muggle Grandparents, Jedidah and Rhiannon Lawrence, because her parents had always been too busy with work. That explained why Riley seemed so sheltered from the harsher aspects of the Wizarding World, Maya realized.

Maya loved listening to the girl talk-until she asked her about herself.

"What about you?" Riley inquired excitingly.

Maya looked slightly taken aback and perhaps Riley realized it because she then said "Maya, it's okay, you don't have to talk about this if you don't want."

Maya looked into those big brown eyes and decided to take a chance. _Why not?_ She thought.

"No, it's okay. I think I need to." Riley smiled lightly, urging Maya to continue. Riley sensed that there was a sadder aspect to Maya's background than met the eye, so she didn't want to push her to say anything she wasn't ready to share.

"Well. I'm a Pureblood. Or, at least, from what my mom says, I am. My mom runs a diner. Missy was right, it is in Knockturn Alley." Maya glanced at her friend as she said the name of the infamous place, worried that it might scare her friend away. Riley, however, did nothing of the sort, so Maya continued. "It's actually located off the edge of Diagon Alley, so it's sort of the barrier between the two. It has a kind of weird reputation. It used to be a Muggle restaurant, but a couple Half-Bloods bought it from them and turned the whole thing into a Wizarding diner. My mom eventually took control over it. What a lot of people don't like about it is that there's an entrance open to Muggles too. And, it's one of the few places in Knockturn Alley that doesn't have any Dark Magic. We sell Muggle food there too, so the Muggles see the Muggle menu only, but the Wizards can order from the Muggle or the Wizarding Menu. Like I said, it's weird, both to the Muggles, and the Wizards, but the people love the food anyway, so I guess you could say it's kind of popular. My mom used to always keep me at the table right by the entrance, and I used to draw, or take pictures, or read books while she worked her shifts. That was when I was really little but she couldn't afford someone to watch me. She stopped taking me there because we had an incident a while back with some Dark Wizards coming into the shop. They took some stuff and.." Maya pursed her lips, looking a bit uncomfortable. She again glanced at Riley, feeling suddenly vulnerable, but she found reassurance in Riley's eyes. "Well, I was really little, and after they left, I got mad at my mom for letting them take so much of our stuff. It wasn't her fault, I guess, but after that, she started letting me roam around instead of staying in the shop. We spent less time together, and I learned how to fend for myself."

Riley nodded. Maya had to admit, the kid was a good listener. She had to be, because Maya had never told anyone her own story before. It actually felt kind of...nice. And she hadn't run away from her, even after the duel, after she tried to push her away. Kid must have been worth something, Maya thought.

"Thanks...friend," Maya smiled.

"No problem, friend." Riley said gently.

_Oh no, _Maya thought to herself, _this kid might actually save me._


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